Just Two Lost Souls Swimming in a Fish Bowl
by carrotpig
Summary: DBZ fic featuring life triangle between OC, Trunks and Gohan. After going through a hurricane, I thought I was at the stage of my life where I would be picking up the pieces, rebuilding. Instead I had no idea I was really at the eye of the storm.
1. Chapter 1

The first day of semester is always a happy time. It's before everyone start skipping their classes, but no one seems to care about the overcrowding on campus as (mostly) everyone is in a really good mood. The university always puts on a huge show, too. There's free gifts and entertainment as far as the eye can see. If you're a party goer, the on campus bar is always full. If you're more of the bookworm type, the library is always empty. The first day of semester is always magical, and it's always even more magical when it's your last semester. This was the last time I'd be able to enjoy these magical feelings, and I was taking advantage of everything in sight.

My course load was light this semester, after being here since I was eighteen I had planned it this way. With all of my difficult classes behind me, I was in for a breezy final semester, before I had to go out into the real world and become a fully-fledged adult.

Even though I was doing a business degree, I was allotted three electives to do whatever I wanted to do. I had done one last semester, national politics. This semester I was doing another politics class, and a writing class. The only business class I had left was a compulsory wrap-up class, which summarised our entire degree in one semester.

It was this class I had no idea what to expect, and I did not know that the second I stepped through those classroom doors (well, more like the second my timetable was allocated a few weeks back, but that sounds less dramatic) my life was about to change, and my fate would be sealed.

"So, usually you get to choose your own groups for these group assignments. However in the real world you won't be able to choose your own groups. Therefore as this class is to prepare you for the real world, I'll be choosing your groups." The teacher remarked.

Whilst most people gave out a load groan, I was trying to suppress a grin. Socially awkward anxious people always panic at the words "get into groups" as they look around and watch people eye up each other. They give a gulp at the thought of shamefully and slowly going up to the teacher to tell them they have yet to find a group, and the teacher then shouts loudly that the awkward person needs to join a group. When no one speaks up, the teacher will sigh and tell the awkward person to join a group they pick out, as the existing group state down the awkward person for ruining their posse.

That wouldn't be me today, nope. I was going to avoid all of what I mentioned above. To be fair it hadn't happened since high school, I had been able to be social enough during university. But still, it's pretty haunting.

"I'll be creating the groups based on your majors, and what culture you identify as. We want a range of diverse groups." The teacher said, and made us stand up.

She then slowly put us all into groups. Once we were assigned to a group, we were put into a corner of the room. I nervously smiled at the group I was assigned as we waited for the sorting to conclude. As it did, we sat down at a table.

"Well, hi." A dark brunette girl said to us, smiling brightly.

"Hi!" The blonde girl, the other female (aside from myself) said, brightly smiling back.

We all exchanged greetings, and introduced ourselves. The loud brunette was named Betty, at first I was a little cautious of how loud she was, afraid she was a bitch. But she was nice enough it seemed.

The blonde girl mentioned above was named Jessica. She was less loud than Betty, but still chatty enough.

One of the guys was named Neil, he had an Asian background, but the second he opened his mouth, he had the same West City accent that we all did.

The other boy was Trunks, a lavender haired boy with bright blue eyes. We quietly had a laugh together about Neil and how the teacher was trying to be multi cultural by putting us into diverse groups, but in fact was actually kind of racist by determining our culture based on looks and throwing us into groups on this assumption. He clearly had a good sense of humour, I liked it.

As for me? I'm Victoria Mackenzie.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I forgot to say the last part was an introduction. But yeah, it was. There's probably more I need to say but I have a headache and I need to study, so it can wait until the next part.

I sighed as I was stuck behind a group of first years in high heels, dressed way too inappropriately for university who were giggling and gossiping about boys in their class, something about calling them "stalkers" for sitting next to them.

I had a coffee in one hand and my backpack slung over my other shoulder and a huge scowl on my face.

I was tempted to push past them, but I didn't want to take the chance of spilling my coffee, they definitely weren't worth that.

"Need some help?" I heard, and I looked up to see the lavender haired boy from my group project grinning next to me.

"Oh, hey Trunks. I would make some smart arse remark, but I'm extremely tired." I stated, pointing at my coffee.

"Well then, you're obviously not in the mood to deal with this." Trunks said, indicating to the two first years in front of us.

Without warning, he grabbed me by my shoulders, and led me through the crowd, weaving through the different groups of people. Finally we had space to walk, with all the slow walkers behind us.

"Thanks for that," I said to him, tucking my golden brunette hair behind my ears "I shouldn't be punished by having to walk behind slow walkers, because those idiots choose a poor choice of footwear to wear to school."

Trunks chuckled wholeheartedly at my words, as he moved us both aside to be clear of the oncoming crowds, so we could talk a little more.

"I don't understand why girls dress up like they're going to the club when they're actually going to class. Last semester I overheard some girls in the library loudly say they were doing it to meet guys doing certain majors to meet a husband, it was all kinds of pathetic." Trunks sneered, and I let out a giggle, before I had an embarrassing flashback and turned bright red.

"I used to dress like a total skank in first year. How embarrassing!" I squealed, covering my face with the one free hand I had, grinning underneath as I remembered all the bad memories of dressing badly came running back to me.

"I remember," Trunks grinned "You weren't that bad."

"You remember? Hang on, when did you start here? I've been at this university for so long I could nearly have graduated twice over." I asked him, my eyes widening in shock as I had no idea what was going on.

"I started when you did, nearly five years ago. I'm doing a double degree, business and engineering. Don't be embarrassed that you don't remember me, I remember back then all the guys vying for your attention. I'm sure you never even glossed over little old me." Trunks smirked at me.

I didn't know how to feel. Should I be embarrassed I didn't remember him? Creeped out? Sad? Happy? I'm not sure. It's an odd feeling to have someone remember me and me not remember them, I was usually great at remembering names and faces. Usually I'm the one that awkwardly remembers every small detail, to be on the other side, well, I didn't know exactly how to feel.

"I-uh, yeah. What classes did we have together?" I asked him, cocking my head to the side.

"Accounting 101, and Financial Statistics in first year, then in second year we had the two law subjects together." Trunks said to me, no wiping the smirk off his face that he had been wearing this entire conversation.

"Easy guess, they're core units for every single person doing a business degree." I said to him, changing the weight of my backpack to my other shoulder, slinging it off nervously, finding something to do to distract both myself and Trunks from my nerves.

"Accounting 101. First semester, week twelve – the last week. That was your group's presentation. It was pretty bad, the teacher had cut off the group before yours for introducing a foreign but relevant theory, but let you all drone on about god knows what. Then at the end he asked if you knew anything about the topic and you all said no. Yet he gladly confirmed you'd all be receiving a High Distinction." Trunks smirked, crossing his arms across his chest proudly as he proved me wrong.

I froze, my mouth in a wide 'o' shape. I had a mixture of emotions running through me. I was now a little afraid that Trunks remembered all that in detail, hell even I had forgotten about that encounter, first year seemed like a lifetime ago now. But here was Trunks, remembering it like it was just yesterday. I felt a little guilty too, there were only twenty-five people in that class, yet all I could remember from that class were the two guys I was partnered with – the stoner dude, and the trust fund kid who had bought great shame upon his parents by getting a bad enough GPA he was here, and not in an ivy league soon somewhere, wasting the hundreds of thousands they spent on sending him to the poshest school in the country. Oh, and some blonde girl who always wore an ugly brown sweater who would sneer at me. Besides them, nothing.

Trunks used my silence to continue on the same topic.

"Or how about every financial statistics lecture? You'd walk in flipping your perfectly straight newly-dyed blonde hair, wearing some designer brand collared shirt with a tiny logo stitched onto your chest and a miniskirt, placing your immaculate, expensive laptop in front of you, smiling at the messages you got on Facebook from both friends, and random boys in our year who had gone out of their way to find you on there." Trunks grinned, nodding his head towards me.

I grinned and smiled at the memory as I looked down. I was almost a completely different person right now. I was never a bitch and although Trunks' description of me was uncannily similar to who I was on the outside, he never got to know me, and because of this he hasn't been able to describe who I was as a person. Either way though, I was a different person today.

I looked down to what I was wearing. Instead of a white miniskirt, I had a grey knee-length skater-style skirt. I was wearing a black tank top that had nowhere near the plunging neckline that the tops I wore back in first year had. I also had an oversized green jacket covering my shoulders. My once dyed blonde hair was long gone and was back to its natural brunette colour. Even my bag was vastly different, instead of a stylish but not practical large black over the shoulder bag, I had a plain looking backpack slung over my shoulders.

Even my size was vastly different. Back then I had a near-on perfect hourglass shape. It was one of the reasons I dressed so stupidly, I was flaunting what my momma gave me, and I used it to my advantage. Over the course of college though I rapidly gained weight, and whilst I was never really overweight, I was certainly chubby at one stage. I was working my way back to the size I used to be before I started college though, and I felt a lot better about myself.

Hell, I almost feel better about myself now, than I did back then. I was clearly insecure, and felt I needed boys' attention to validate myself. I was never a bitch, or slut (contrary to whatever rumours were started about me) but I was insecure with who I was as a person. That person wasn't me anymore, and with my weight loss, I was pretty happy with who I was these days.

"I um…don't have that laptop anymore. I have a cheaper brand one, I had the money for a new expensive one when my cat peed on the old one, but I couldn't justify spending the money for that specific brand, when the cheap one does the same things." I grinned (for the millionth time) as I tore my eyes away from my bottom half.

I expected Trunks to keep his cocky attitude, but his grin now faltered, and I couldn't read what expression he was trying to convey.

"S-sorry, I shouldn't have said all that. I look like a total pervert, like I was stalking or spying on you. I wasn't, I swear." Trunks stammered out, looking around him as he began to inch away slowly.

"U…um, it's okay. Look, I don't remember many people from first year. I may look self-centered and I guess I am, it's mostly just that a lot of shit has happened to me since first year, and I don't really remember anyone who I've not kept in contact with. If you approached me in first year, I'm guessing I would have remembered you for sure, and probably would have remembered your name." I tried to offer, taking a step towards him.

It was true, I wasn't trying to make him feel better. I only really had two people I was still friends with who were still at university from my first year group of friends, and a few others who I only knew from being in my recent classes. My whole life had changed since first year. Besides, he had absolutely gorgeous big blue eyes. I was an absolute sucker for blue eyes, there was no way in hell I wouldn't have noticed him.

"We…we never really talked," Trunks sighed, rubbing the back of his head, before going back into a panicked mode "I better go, I'm running late for class too. See you later in the week!"

Without a second glance behind him, he was running off into the distance, pretty quickly too might I add. I sighed as I took a few moments to process both what had just happened and the conversations we had just had, before I raced off to class too. I was running late myself now.

I burst through the doors and ignored the quizzical looks of my classmates as they all peered to watch the late comer, me. As I sank into my seat and automatically grabbed my pen and book, I finally let my mind wander properly.

Whilst most girls might think what Trunks had just said, and the fact he remembered it was a weird thing, I was extremely flattered. I had obviously made quite the impression on him, more so than I had on anyone else. I was suddenly looking forward to that stupid class we had together a lot more than I was previously.


End file.
